What are some urine leakage treatments available? | YoniFlex Canada Pelvic Floor Trainer
Urine leakage is a very challenging for many Canadian women, and surprisingly common experience, especially in women. Whether it is dribbling a little without your knowledge (called overflow incontinence) or urine accidents that happen when jumping, laughing, sneezing, running, etc. (called stress incontinence) - any urine leakage is difficult to deal with. Fortunately, there are many treatments developed to reduce urine leakage.
Check out this article for more understanding of urinary incontinence.
Urine Leakage Treatment #1
Behavioral adaptations:
The first, and often most easy to perform is learning new techniques to reduce urine leakage. This treatment involves working with your bladder and essentially retraining your bladder to increase your control. Effective behavior techniques to reduce urine leakage include:
Double Voiding urine leakage treatment:
This method involves urinating as normal, then waiting a few minutes and urinating again. This is typically used when people experience overflow incontinence, which is the slow leakage that happens outside of your control and knowledge.
Scheduling your trips to the washroom:
This is another area of control where you simply visit the bathroom in a pre-determined time frame, - for example every 3 hours - regardless of your need (or lack of need) to go. This will reduce your chance of urine leakage throughout the day as you bladder will never be completely full.
Bladder Training:
Bladder training can reduce urine leakage, especially in women who have Urge incontinence. This is when the urge to urinate comes on suddenly. Going from 0-100 in a moment. Bladder training to reduce urine leakage works by delaying your urination by as long as possible, and extending the length as you work. So for example, you may try to hold urinating for 15 minutes after the onset of the desire to urinate. You do this each time you feel the need to urinate. The goal is to reduce the number of times each day you use the washroom.
Diet Management:
There are triggering factors to urinary incontinence of all types, and these factors are often what you eat, and when you eat. Avoiding alcohol and caffeine will be a big benefit to reducing urinary leaking. Acidic foods can also increase the need to urinate.
If possible reducing your weight can help reduce urine leakage, as the fat pushing on your bladder can cause issues with urinary incontinence. Finally, reducing overall liquid consumption, especially around bedtime or times a washroom is unavailable for a time are also methods used to reduce urine leakage.
Urine Leakage Treatment #2: Pelvic floor exercises
Pelvic floor exercises, often called Kegel exercises can be an effective method to reduce urine leakage, as it strengthens the muscles that control your urethra and support your bladder. Strong pelvic floor muscles have been shown to reduce urinary incontinence of all kinds.
For details on kegel exercises checkout this article on how to effectively do a kegel exercise.
Unfortunately for many Canadian women, the pelvic floor muscles are so weak that is is impossible to correctly perform kegel exercises. This is where the YoniFlex Pelvic Floor Trainer (shameless plug) comes in...
Urine Leakage treatment #3: Electric stimulation.
The YoniFlex Pelvic Floor Trainer stimulates the muscles in your pelvic floor, performing kegel exercise automatically! Instead of manually squeezing and releasing your pelvic floor muscles, the YoniFlex will send stimulation directly to your pelvic floor muscles, squeezing and relaxing them over a session. The result is faster muscle strengthening and increased control over your bladder.
What is even better is that the YoniFlex has programs designed to target specific types of urinary incontinence, including stress incontinence, overflow incontinence, pelvic floor prolapse, and even programs designed to target menopause symptoms and other urinary issues.
My YoniFlex Pelvic Floor Trainer is now available in Canada. Check it out now :)
Urine Leakage Treatment #4: Medications.
There are many medications on the market that are designed to treat urine leakage issues.
NOTICE: Before considering medication to treat Urinary incontinence it is very important to discuss your options with your family doctor or health care professional. Medications often have side effects
There are 4 types of medications commonly used in Canada to support the reduction of urine leaks:
Mirabegron: - This medicine primarily is used to treat urge incontinence. It relaxes the bladder muscles, thus increasing the amount of urine that it can hold.
Anticholinergics: This medicine can treat urge incontinence by relaxing an overactive bladder.
Topical Estrogen: A low dose estrogen cream, patch, or ring may be recommended. This it designed to improve the urethra and vagina tissues leading to a reduction of urinary incontinence.
Alpha Blocker medication: These include Flomax, Uroxatral, Cardura, and Rapaflo and are designed for men to reduce overflow incontinence by relaxing the muscle fibers in their prostate.
Urine Leak prevention option #4: Surgeries and Interventions:
Note: Surgery should be a last resort when all other options fail. Surgery and interventions come with increased risk, and the results are not guaranteed.
Pelvic Floor Sling Procedure: Synthetic material or strips of your own bodies tissues are used to create a sling around your pelvic region. This sling helps to keep the urethra closed, and is typically done to reduce stress incontinence.
Bladder Neck Suspension: This surgery involves an incision of the abdomen, and supports your urethra and bladder neck.
Botox injections: For those with overactive bladders, an injection of botox into the bladder can reduce overactive bladder by relaxing the bladder and pelvic floor muscles.
Final words about urine leakage...
The bottom line about urine leakage of any kind, for both Canadian men and women, is it sucks. It can be debilitating to have bladder leakage, and many women struggle to find the support to deal with these challenges. Beyond physical limitations, bladder leakage can cause emotional turmoil and stress, creating depression, anxiety, and reclusion.
There are support systems in place to help you! From us at YoniFlex, to your health care professionals, to support groups around the internet. Know that you are not alone in your struggles.
If you have any questions for us, please contact us anytime and we will be happy to answer your questions about your issues surrounding urine leakage and incontinence.
Stay Awesome,
Tricia